Make a mistake on
the Web these days, and you can expect an instant and
overwhelming backlash. But riding out the storm seems to
be a much shorter experience in today's social media
world, according to this recent AdAge.com
article.

The
article analyzes the "seven stages of committing a
social-media sin," using a dubious post from
Kenneth Cole as a case study. The article points out
that, while a blunder in the social media world can
inflict massive pain on the perpetrator, the speed with
which the backlash exhausts itself seems to have
increased considerably.

What would once be a possibly
fatal mistake in traditional media, with backlash spread
out over weeks and more time for additional study of the
brand and possible transgressions available, it seems
that a social media gaffe can transition the entire
course of a crisis in less than a day.

The entire
process is shifted into overdrive by social media. While
previously it would take an entire day for the news of a
faux pas to simply enter the media, in this case it was
instant. A tweet was posted and instantly generated
outrage and hatred. The backlash was massive, but the
apology soon followed. This was then followed by parody
and humor, and by the end of the day the whole incident
no longer appeared relevant.

At the end of the day, the
company's stock price had trended up and the Kenneth
Cole Twitter account had more followers. Facebook fans
came to the support of the company. What's the
expression - I don't care what is said about me in the
media as long as they spell my name right?